A face is just a mask

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A face is just a mask, a covering to protect the soul.  The mask is a disguise to hide what one is by appearing as something else.  Inherently we are all the same inside and out.  Regardless of race, creed or color of our skin, we are all human beings.
I consider myself to be a human being and a student of the human condition. I am a barometer that measures the relative pressure of society.  As a result, I am an Artist.
My purpose is to be an observer of life, to better understand myself and my place in the world, to touch others and allow myself to be touched by them and to create deep spiritual connections to myself and those around me.
I investigate these themes through mask-like portraiture, stylized landscapes, woodblock and monoprints.
My work explores a desire to communicate effectively. Most often with great frustration I fail. Sometimes I have moments of soul to soul connection. 

— Roy Grillo 

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The eyes, from top to bottom: Roy Grillo, George Clooney, Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins.

Other works…

I ask the question “Where are we going?”  My answer is “Home.” The Landscapes are the journey and the destination.…
 

 Road Home III Oil pastel on paper 16″ x 20″ 

Road Home IV Oil pastel on paper 12″ x 20″ 

Road Home Oil pastel on paper 12″ x 20″ 

Untitled. Pastel on paper.  

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“Why do we create art? What does the artist see that the viewer is unable or unwilling to see? The answer for me is to encourage people to exercise the courage to open their minds and not be afraid to feel and to reach out to your neighbor. Who am I? Where do I fit in? What is really going on? These thoughts are what drive’s my journey. I am not trying to master my craft as it pertains to mediums which are the reasons why my techniques are varied.  I am trying to master life and to be a master of my own destiny. Each medium has a life and a direction that it wants to go. I simply let it be. Depending on the subject, the ideas and feelings I want to convey. I have been influenced by Picasso and his business acumen. By Van Gogh and his struggle. I have studied the German expressionists and their mastery of so many genre. I have read Machiavelli and can relate it to our existence now. Mostly I am moved by my own thoughts, past, present and future and my relationship to those in the struggle to survive.”  

-Roy Grillo 

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Roy Grillo’s website: http://www.roygrillo.com/
Grillo can be contacted at: roygrillo@bigplanet.com